Highway concession companies have urged the Ministry of Transport to raise tolls by 8.4% due to ongoing inflation. Industry sources indicate that the impact will take effect next year. The department, led by Raquel Sánchez, is expected to decide by year’s end on whether to implement this plan.
Because of this, the sector awaits the government’s response, hoping to avoid a sharp toll spike at a moment when traffic levels have not yet fully returned to pre-pandemic norms. Smoothing options include a gradual approach based on past industry experience. Proposals include increasing by less than 8.4% using a different payment channel, or spreading the rise over several years. Another option is to extend the concession period, though highway operators view that as the most complex variable to manage.
In any case, the Executive must decide by 31 December this year. Tolls collected from drivers on state highways are adjusted by the cumulative Consumer Price Index for the previous twelve months up to 30 November. A related matter is that motorways fall under regional administrations in some areas, such as Catalonia, where a similar adjustment formula uses a different year-end reference. In those cases, the Generalitat also needs a decision within the upcoming weeks.
This toll adjustment mechanism is not unique to Spanish motorways; it is a common method used worldwide to align road charges with rising costs. The same principles appear in other sectors to avoid sudden financial shocks for consumers. Even before the pandemic, Spanish highways had not fully rebounded to pre-crisis levels, a situation influenced by higher fuel prices, the expansion of discounts on public transport, and a shift toward increased remote work.